Incandescent lamp socket



Aug. 26, 1930. o. H. VAN AMBURG INCANDESCENT LAMP SOCKET Filed July 29,1922 Figi.

Patented Aug. 26, 193i) Unirse;

was

ewa-ier orro H. van AMBURG, vror@ Bnrnferonfr; connno'rrcnr; seremos ToGENERAL ELEC- TRIO COMPANY, CORORATON OFv NEXV YORK INCNDESCENT-'LAMPSOGKE'JI Appncaem inea my 29,

insulating materialinste'ad of sheetp-metal.`

, During recent years the snap connection between the cappand bodyportions of thef metal shells of sockets has displaced almost 10entirely the prior constructions which required the use of a screwdriver or other toolk for their connection and disconnection. Inporcelain sockets the old ycumbersome connections between cap or baseand body parts have 1.51 persisted despite many attempts to providelsatisfactory snap or manually operatedconnections therefor.

2o portion may bey connected and disconnected withl facility to thecapportion by mere ma-y nipulation, and when the parts are-in connectedposition they 'will be,- securely held against relative *movement andaccidental .25 displacement. l 1

@ne embodiment-'of inthe accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of my improved socket; Fig. 2 is an under side view of the capor base portion; Fig. 3 .is a top view of the body portion, and Fig. -1is an enlarged vertical section of the upper' part of the socket. Y

The cap or top portion l and the body portion 2 have the generalconstruction of the A porcelain sockets heretofore in use.

The cap or top portion l is formed with a plain lower surface'bounded bya. peripheral drip liange 3, a central aperture t and' chamber 5 for theusual knotted conductor wires, and binding plates secured in arcuaterecesses on opposite sides of the chamber 5.

The body portion 2 has in a recessin its lower end the usual center andscrew shell contacts for engagement with the base of an incandescentlamp and in a recess in its upper end anordinary switch mechanismcompris-V ing a key shaft 7 journalled in a yoke'8 connected by an axialscrew with the center contact, and having on its inner end an oblongblock 9 normally engaging a flat spring conthe rinvention isshown'1er-:2. "sensi Ne. 578,313.

tact l0, the free-end of which is adapted to engage a contact toe llprojecting horizontally yfrom a U-shaped or overhanging connectionbracket l2 secured to the end of the body portion onone side of the keyshaft 7, while on the opposite side thereof a second connection bracketlis secured by a screw having electrical connection withy the screwshell contact.- l v `ln order that the body portion 2 may bereadilyconnected to and.disconnectedfrom the 'cap ortop portion l by asimplemanipulation',V I provide the binding plates G with. yielding connectionhooks 14, made of spring metal, such as phosphor bronze, and shaped asindicated in F ig. 4 with inclined outer ends adapted, upon beingbroughtfby a slight any*The object of my invention is to provide anyimproved porcelain socket in whichthe body.y

gular inovementv into vengagement with the outturned ends of theconnection brackets 12 'and 13to yield sufficiently to insure goodspringcontact at both points of connection and also to pern'iit theporcelain'surfaces at the meeting ends of the socket members to slideupon each-'other without-interference from the sharp particles common tosuch surfaces or from irregularities of manufacture.

Gn account of the tendency of the socket members to creep or work looseunderv mechanicaly vibrations, alternating current im-Y pulses andunequal expansion and contraction between porcelain and metal parts, Iprovide` a positive lock between the .bodyfportioii 2Vr and the cap ortop portion l consisting of a latch l5 in the form of a phosphor bronzeleaf spring secured by a screw lGat its inner end in a parallel sidedradial recess 17 formed in the lower end of the cap or top portion andextending downwardly and outwardly therefrom to a point somewhat belowthe end planeV of the cap or top and then bent upwardly and inwardly sothat while its' rfree end is positioned between and guided by theparallel walls of the recess the bent portion will be disposed slightlyoutside the pcriphery'of thev cap or top whereits surface is roughenedto permit of its being, readily engagedby the finger of the wireman. Thebody portion 2" is provided in its upper end with a shouldered notch 18into which the spring latch l5 snaps when the socket portions have beenrotated relatively to each other to fully connect their engaging means.

When the wireman desires to install my socket, he presses upwardly withh is thumb on the exposed portion of the latch 15 and gives the bodyportion 2 a slight rotary movement relative to the cap or top portion lto disconnect the brackets 12 and 13 trom the spring hooks 14. Uponremoval ot the body portion the conductors are threaded through thecentral aperture d of the cap or top portion, a. knot tied in them andtheir ends secured to the exposed binding plates G. 'l he body portionis replaced and rotated until the latch 15 snaps home in the notch 1S.

While I have shown and described the best embodiment ot' the inventionknown to me, I do not desire to be restricted thereto.

lVhat I claim as new and desire tov secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. A separable socket comprising insulating cap and body portions,members mounted on said portions movable to interlock the cap and body,a latch keeping notch in one of said portions, a U-shaped spring latchdetachably mounted Within the other portion and normally extending intosaid notch to prevent unlocking movement of the cap and body, and meanscarried by the latch and extending outside the socket operable toWithdraw the latch from the notch.

2. A separable socket comprising insulating cap, and body portions,members mounted on said-portions movable to interlock the cap 1; andbody, a latch keeping notch in one of said portions, a U-shaped springlatch mounted Within the other portion and normally eX- tending intosaid notch to prevent unlocking movement ot the cap and body, and meanscarried by the latch aud extending outside the socket operable toWithdraw the latch from the notch.

3. A lamp socket comprising a moulded body portion lhaving lamp receivincontacts at one end, a cap portion fitting the oppositie end of saidbody, means i'or interlocking said cap and body, a latch keeping recessin one ot' said portions extending to the outside oit said portion,means for interlocking said cap and body, and a U-shaped spring mountedin said recess, having a handle extending to the outside of said portionand having a latching engagement with the other portion to prevent itsrotation.

4. A lamp socket comprising moulded body and cap portions, interlockingconducting members carried by adjacent ends'ot the body and cap portionsadapted to be connected by a longitudinal and rotary increment, one oisaid portions having a recess in theend adjacent the other portion, thelatter portion .having a latch engaging notch, and a snap latch membermounted in said recess and adapted to engage the notch in theotherportion when the conducting members are interloeked, and

said latch member having an operating handle extending to the outside ofthe socket.

5. In a lamp socket having a top portion and an independent body portionof insulating material directly engaging each other, the combination ofmetal brackets mounted on one of said portions, cooperating yieldablehooks mounted on the other ot said portions and adapted to engage saidbrackets upon one of said portions being moved angularly to the otherabout their longitudinal axis, and

an insulated spring latch tor relcasably preventing retrogradem-oven'icnt between said portions.

6. In a lamp socket having a top portion and an independent body portionotinsulating material directly engaging each other, the combi-nation ofbinding plates attached to said top portion and provided with springhooks, contact brackets mounted on said body porf tion andengageahlewith said spring hooks upon slight angular movement ot said portionsrelativeV to each other about their-,longitudinal axis, and an insulatedspring latch for releasably preventing retrograde,movement between saidportions.

7. In a lamp socket having a top portion and anindependent body portionof insulating material directly engaging each other, the combination ofinterengageable yielding mean for connect-ing said members upon slightangular movement of one relative to the other about their longitudinalaxis,`sa id top portionhaving a radial parallel sided recess adjacentthe` periphery thereoisaid body portion having a notch adjacent one endthereof, and a bent spring latch secured to said top portion andprojecting through said recess and adapted to snap into said not-eh uponcompletion ot said relative angular movement of said portions.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day oi July,1929..

OTTO H. VAN AMBURG.

